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BSE Global got big bounce from Training Center opening. Wouldja believe in Nets' "stoop kids" and the Barclays Center's new "brownstone" dressing rooms?

A Sept. 29 column (link) by Fortune's Diane Brady offered "insights from CEOs shaping the next wave of live entertainment," including this squib about the emerging "ecosystem" of sports, media, and events:

Create an ecosystem. Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment CEO Sam Zussman is proud of what he’s built around the Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty, but his goal is to turn the Barclays Center into a destination for the community. (The latest example is the Brooklyn Basketball Training Center.) That vision is a big reason why Brooklyn Nets owner (and Alibaba Chairman and cofounder) Joe Tsai chose Zussman. “Sam came in as an outsider and saw BSE Global as a venue-based entertainment business with IP that’s proprietary to us,” Tsai told me recently. “I was looking for someone who can create an ecosystem.” While Zussman says the goal is to “build generational fandom,” the BSE CEO views sports as “a vertical of entertainment” with talent, partners and facilities that let him woo a world of other customers.

Indeed, they're also offering the Training Center for venue rentals, birthday parties, international groups, and private training.

Though the space in the former Modell's is ultimately doomed, to be replaced by a large development, I wouldn't be surprised if BSE Global aims to have a presence, such is a sponsorship of/partnership in a large hotel, and maybe a successor "community" training center with pricey programs. 

A big bounce

As the posts below show, the opening Sept. 25 provoked a lot of positive publicity. I don't think any publication, other than NetsDaily, mentioned the cost. 

 Even the lobbying firm weighed in:

In the New York Post, at least, Brian Lewis noted:

The cold, hard fact is the tanking Nets are going to lose games this season, with winning the lottery a successful result. They’re not converting adult fans from the established Knicks, so they’re targeting a different younger demographic.
Still, public officials offered praise:
“One of the greatest barriers to success is access,” Brooklyn Deputy Borough President Kim Council said at the ribbon cutting. “Our children need to see and they need to be able to visualize themselves in certain spaces. So I’m incredibly thankful to Joe and Clara Tsai for their investment, not just in this facility but in Brooklyn and the larger community.”

Council apparently doesn't know the arena company doesn't pay taxes on the very valuable parcel. 

The Brooklyn Paper parroted the promotional line, stating that the "facility was designed to establish a community-first basketball experience." 

The Downtown Brooklyn Partnership published a supplied photo:

Welcome to Brooklyn

Would you believe the Nets' rookies are "stoop kids"?

Brownstone is back ?

Once upon a time, the arena operators were derided for planning "brownstone" and "loft" stuides. Now, as Fast Company put it The new dressing rooms of this major stadium belong in ‘Architectural Digest’. (Well, it's an arena, not a stadium.)

The Barclays Center has upgraded six dressing rooms for touring artists "that now resemble Brooklyn brownstone apartments, complete with moody tones, soft-glow lighting, and high-end fixtures and finishes," according to the publication.

Image for Fast Company from Barclays Center/BSE

“For touring artists, a dressing room is often their only connection to the city they’re performing in,” BSE's Laruie Jacoby told the publication. “That’s why we designed our dressing rooms to capture the essence of a Brooklyn brownstone, featuring paneled walls, herringbone floors, warm lighting, and elegant finishes that create a cozy, residential atmosphere—a true home away from home right inside the arena.”

Well, it looks impressive, but if these are the work of the Brooklyn Home Company, a look at their portfolio shows an emphasis on light, air, and windows, which of course are absent in the images.

So there's a limit to the purported homages to Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, "Brooklyn Botanical Gardens," Boerum Hill, Clinton Hill, and Fort Greene. 

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